FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Associate Professor
kshoele@fsu.edu
Google Scholar
Personal Website
(CV)
Kourosh Shoele is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Florida State University since 2023. He was as an Assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Florida State University from 2017-2023. His previous roles include serving as an Assistant Research Scientist in the Flow Physics and Computation Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University (2013-2016). Prior to that, he worked as as Research engineer at Re Vision LLC from 2011 to 2013 and held a Post-doctoral Research Assistant position in the Department of Structural Engineering at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2011. Kourosh received my Ph.D. from the UCSD, San Diego in 2011 focusing his doctoral dissertation on flow interaction with flexible structures. He received an M.Sc. from Sharif University of Technology in 2006, and he received his B.Sc. from Shiraz University in 2003.
Research Themes:
Kourosh's research interests revolve around problems at the intersection of mechanics and physics. He is actively engaged in developing and applying mathematical and computational tools, with specific emphasis on fluid-structure interaction, aerospace, and biolocomotion.
Research Interests:
Fluid-structure interaction, multiphase fluid dynamics, aeroelasticity, bioinspired robotic systems, model reduction and unsteady vortex dynamics.
Honors & Awards:
NSF Career Award, 2020; DARPA Young Faculty Award, 2019; DARPA Young Faculty Director Fellowship, 2021; Developing Scholar Award, Rising Star (FSU), 2021; First Year Assistant Professor Award (FSU), 2017; Best poster award, NASA International Workshop on Environment and Energy, San Diego, 2010; Featured article: Physics of Fluids, Vol.34, 2022; Inside JEB featured article: Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 211 2008; Ranked 1st in the eighth Scientific Olympiad of Engineering in Iran,2003.
Our research activities are catagorized on overall themes of: (a) Fluid-Structure Interaction, (b) Multiphase and multimaterial flows, (c) Model reduction and flow control. The ongoing projects are highlighted below:
Studying Natural Convection in Two-Phase Cryogenic Tanks using Nodal Model, CFD, and CFD-Nodal Coupled Methods
Recent advancements in deep space exploration and the shift towards new energy sources have led to critical scientific challenges in understanding cryogenic systems. Accurate models of cryogenic tanks are essential for predicting the behavior of cryogenic fluids during design and planning phases. While lumped-parameter models are computationally efficient for simulating long durations, they lack precision in capturing crucial physical aspects. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become popular for cryogenic tank simulations but is computationally demanding. To address this, a hybrid approach integrating high-fidelity CFD with low-fidelity nodal models, termed the integrated multimodal-CFD method (CFD-Nodal Coupling), is proposed. This study employs this approach to analyze pressurized tanks' heat transfer and fuel circulation under normal gravity conditions, capturing fuel dynamics with reduced computational costs compared to full CFD simulations.
High-Fidelity Multi-Phase Computational Model of Two-Phase Fluid Flow Zero-Boil-Off Tank Under Microgravity Condition
The Zero-Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) Experiments were conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to explore fundamental aspects of two-phase fluid physics. In this research, a high-fidelity multi-phase computational model was employed to explore the phase change dynamics of the cryogenic heat transfer concept with sharp interface capturing method-coupled level set and Continuous Moment of Fluid (CMOF) algorithm. The research examined the influence of different physical configurations of ZBOT in microgravity, considering variations in ullage volume, initial ullage location and its penetration, and injected mass flow rate, etc. Additionally, the behavior of the ZBOT tank under conditions of continuous excitation (sloshing investigation) and tank rotation in microgravity when filled with cryogenic fuels was investigated. The results of this study provide valuable insights into the fundamental physics of two-phase fluid flow in microgravity. The findings will be used to improve the design and operation of cryogenic storage tanks for future space missions.
Surveillant and hydrodynamic benefits of fish schooling
This research explores the surveillance capability and hydrodynamic benefits of fish school. It has been argued that fish schooling serves multiple objectives such a finding better resources, enhance swimming performance and protecting against predators attack the group. In this research, we explore the connection between the morphologies of fish schools and the long-range predator detection in species such as allis shad. The radiation and diffraction of sonic and ultrasound waves in different school shapes and sizes are quantified and correlated to the hydrodynamic performance of the school. The model consists of a fish school that shows a typical chess-like formation with a specified spacing between fishes, which is typical for most species. Each fish is represented by a NACA0012 airfoil and the Kutta condition is applied to create the vortex wake behind each fish. The wave propagation is modeled with the boundary integral approach.
Integrating Machine Learning and Physics-Based Flow Models for Population-Level Respiratory Disease Simulation
Our study presents an innovative framework for simulating respiratory disease transmission across diverse populations using advanced machine learning and fluid-based modeling. We integrate a wide range of facial shapes, mask types, and dynamic conditions to accurately predict airflow leakage patterns. By incorporating facial deformations linked to specific speech scenarios, we analyze how verbal communication impacts mask efficacy compared to breathing. This methodology contributes to identifying more effective strategies for mitigating respiratory disease transmission by providing a nuanced understanding of mask performance across varied real-world conditions.
Nucleate boiling and active vortex generation
The nucleate boiling process is essential to achieve extreme heat flux in heat exchangers and cooling systems. We have proposed using active vortex generation to manipulate the boiling process dynamics. We have simulated the response of the boiling process in a heat exchanger channel to an oscillating flexible/rigid/hybrid plates and found out the extent of thermal enhancement and effects on dynamics of the vapor bubble. Our preliminary results show that surprisingly, a specific type of active vortex generators may enhance the thermal heat transfer by 500%-1000% much more than other proposed techniques. Considering the impact of active vortex generators compared to the crossflow-only case, we found out that by using a flexible insert, one can reach a 200%-250% increase in the coefficient of performance. The initial results suggest a promising technique to have a paradigm-shift heat transfer enhancement methodology especially for boiling heat transfer in microchannels using minimally invasive piezoelectric or magnetic vortex generators. Further studies will increase our understanding of the critical features of this process, also gives the suitable parameter regimes for experimental studies and practical applications. This may lead to an economical thermal management procedure using a passive system for the real-world applications.
Modeling face mask leakage with 3D morphable face models
The face mask “fit” affects the mask’s efficacy in preventing airborne transmission. To date, research on the face mask fit has been conducted mainly using experiments on limited subjects. The limited sample size in experimental studies makes it hard to reach a statistical correlation between mask fit and facial features in a population. Here, we employ a novel framework that utilizes a morphable face model and mask deployment simulation to test mask fit for many facial characteristics and mask designs. The proposed technique is an important step toward enabling personalized mask selection with maximum efficacy for society members.
SWBLI with flexible structure
When a shock wave comes into contact with a boundary layer flow, the large adverse pressure gradient associated with the shock wave can cause the flow to separate from the surface. When this happens, a recirculation bubble forms close to the wall, and significantly alters the stability and dynamics of the flow. This shock typically bends as it encounters lower Mach numbers inside the boundary layer and ultimately breaks up into a compression fan and a reflected shock develops. We are doing research on SWBLI with flexible structure focusing on structural load minimization and flow control. Panel dynamics can help us to find a potential use of an aeroelastically tailored flexible panel as a means of passive flow control. Cavity pressure underneath the panel can also create forced panel oscillations which may reduce separation in the interaction zone.
Dynamics of heated flexible panel
The canonical problem of flow-induced flutter of a thin flexible plate is revisited, with an emphasis on the thermally induced buoyancy effects on the dynamics and thermal characterization of the system. An immersed boundary method is used to simulate mixed convection of a heated 2D inextensible and flexible thin plate. The bending stiffness, Richardson number, and Reynolds number are chosen as the characteristic parameters of the system. The dynamic and thermal responses of the plate are examined over a wide range of the characteristic parameters, and it is shown that the stability boundary growth rate of the flapping dynamics dramatically increases after a particular threshold Richardson number due to the mode switching behavior. The appearance of higher oscillatory modes and a shift in the nodes of the dominant oscillatory mode are found to also be correlated to the observed higher Nusselt numbers.
Wind induced reconfigurations of trees
Wind-induced stress is the major mechanical cause of tree failures. Among different factors, the branching mechanism plays a central role in the stress distribution and stability of trees in windstorms. The recent study by Eloy showed that Leonardo da Vinci’s original observation stating the total cross-section of branches is conserved across branching nodes is the optimal configuration for resisting wind-induced damage in rigid trees. However, the breaking risk and the optimal branching pattern of trees are also a function of their reconfiguration capabilities and the processes they employ to mitigate high wind-induced stress hotspots. In this study, using an efficient numerical model of rigid and flexible branched trees, we explore the role of flexibility and branching pattern of trees on their reconfiguration and stress mitigation capabilities. We identify the optimal power-law branching mechanism that is robust for a large tree flexibility range. Our results show that the probability of a tree breaking at each level of branching from the stem to terminal foliage depends strongly on both the cross-section changes in the branching nodes, the overall tree geometry, and the level of tree flexibility. It is found that the optimal branching of trees is a function of its deformability and could be different from the rigid trees.
Wind Turbine Aerodynamics
A computational model is used to study the effect of wave-induced motion on the aerodynamics of compliant offshore wind turbines. The wake response of two promising offshore platform concepts, Spar buoy and Barge type turbines were studied in details and their aerodynamic, power and wake characteristics were compared with a stationary wind turbine case. Results obtained from this study indicates that surprisingly the wake response of the oscillating wind turbine recovers faster compared to the stationary turbine, with a 50%wake recovery in a distance that is 33% shorter than the static counterpart.
Active Control of the Aeroelastic Flutter
Aeroelastic effect plays an important role in various research topics including aero vehicle stability, renewable energy extraction, and animal locomotion. Active and passive control methods have been proposed to control the flutter phenomenon of the airfoil. For example, the EET high-lift flexible wing with actively bending flaps provides an active actuator that can modify the flow around the airfoil. Through the use of a high-fidelity fluid-structure interaction algorithm we can investigate the effect on the aeroelastic motion of the EET airfoil over a wide range of parameters. Preliminary results show that the active flap is capable of regulating the oscillation period of the airfoil. The simulations can provide physical insight behind the highly nonlinear motion, and eventually derive the control law to regulate the oscillation.
Fast multilevel multi-phase CFD-nodal model for cryogenic applications
Cryogenic fluids are one of the critical components of current and future space exploration, and a better understanding of cryogenic flow is necessary for safe and efficient transport and storage of cryogenic fluids. This project aims to develop and employ novel modeling and analysis tools for capturing the flow physics and thermodynamics of cryogenic flows in storage vessels in both normal and microgravity conditions. The flow and thermal interaction of cryogenic systems with three phases of the flow, gas, and solid boundaries can generate a rich spectrum of phenomena. To accurately model the system while keeping the running time much lower than the conventional CFD approaches, the block-structured adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) is using. This project's main innovation is the development of an AMR-based computational tool based on the integration of the continuum multiphase-phase model of the cryogenic and the multi-node model of the system. The approach provides high-fidelity modeling of the complex coupled dynamics while maintaining the computational efficiency of nodal models.
Environment-informed vibration-based health monitoring technique
Traditional structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques are based on the strong assumption that the acting loads are either absent or stationary. In many high-speed applications, these criteria are not met, and a more versatile SHM method is required for their monitoring. In this work, we perform extended wavelet-based structural health monitoring using time histories of the embedded impedance-based piezoelectric sensors and the physics-based identification of the causal environmental loads. This technique is the first effort to extend the health monitoring to unsteady short-time load scenarios and use the physics-based force-partitioning technique for SHM under complex loading conditions. To perform SHM in the complex loading condition using impedance-based techniques, we include the mechanistic causal model of the flow forces in the identification procedure. This project breaks new ground in developing and employing a novel multi-physical modeling framework in which both the load conditions and structural responses are monitored simultaneously. Its success in capturing the structural damage is assessed numerically and experimentally for two types of damages, cracking and delamination, under two distinct loading conditions, high thermal loading and shock impingement.
The effect of internal damping on locomotion in frictional environments
Long slender organisms demonstrate remarkable proficiency in varied terrain and especially water. The success of these organisms has proven a source of bio-inspired design in various fields especially robotics. Recent advances in robotic fabrication techniques have led to a new class of "soft robots". Soft robots are made using highly compliant materials and actuated using pneumatics, electromagnetism and tendons. Because of the low elastic modulus for the materials used to construct soft robots, they are inherently back drivable and compatible for interacting with humans and animals. These same properties, many degrees of freedom and under-actuation, create challenges in the area of modeling and control of soft robots. We address these challenges by modeling a long, slender, soft robotic swimmer as a visco-elastic rod whose motion is governed by the partial differential equations of the same. We use Lighthill's High Amplitude Elongated body theory to model the fluid structure interaction with high accuracy and a relatively low computational cost. We model the actuation of swimmers body using a parameterized internal torque linear density, and co-optimize the design and control of the soft swimming robot in terms of locations, size and number of actuators.
Numerical investigation of energy harvesting from piezoelectric inverted flags
The transformation of wind energy into low-power electricity using piezoelectric materials enables the possibility of powering wireless electronic components especially in high wind areas. Here, we investigate the piezoelectric energy harvesting performance of inverted flags with different aspect ratio subject to unidirectional flow. Flags with different aspect ratios were studied both numerically and experimentally to explore the different oscillatory modes of the system and their different energy harvesting capability. Each flag is intrinsically coupled with the piezoelectric patches attached to its surfaces. As the piezo patches deform with the inverted flag, they generate electrical power which is dependent on the flow, structural and electrical parameters of the problem. Experiments on flags made of spring steel were conducted in a wind tunnel, where the wind speed was swept up through the various vibration modes of the inverted flags. The roles of flow conditions, structural parameters and electric setup on the oscillatory behavior and power capturing efficiency of the inverted flag were assessed and preliminary results show that the aspect ratio of the flag can be leveraged to increase the energy harvesting attainable during large amplitude two-sided flapping modes.
Flow-induced vibrations of closely packed flexible flags
Inspired by the tree leaves' problem, the flexible flags problem is studied. We run a series of simulation cases for the FSI problem. The computational results are first compared to the wind tunnel experiment that uses stainless steel sheets as flags and then is employed to quantify how the flag aspect ratio and separation distance between the flags affect the flapping behavior. Also place the flags in a star pattern by rotating them from a center. The frequency, Reynolds number, drag, side, and lift forces are important parameters during the observation. Compared with the 2-D model, it appears more easily to collect results on the amplitude and rotation angle on a particular point of the flags and the vortex distribution with the 3D model. The finding is important when discussing the possibility of using a tree morphology with many flexible piezoelectric leaves to harvest energy from the wind collectively.
Post Doctorate Fellows
Postdoctoral Research Associate
ma25bc@fsu.edu
Mohammad Mehedi Hasan Akash is a postdoctoral scholar, focusing on developing computational fluid-structure interaction (FSI)
methods for turbulent flows, emphasizing drag reduction inspired by the flexible surface dynamics of dolphin skin.
Before his postdoctoral work, Mohammad Akash earned his PhD and MS in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University.
His PhD research focused on computational fluid mechanics in biological systems, specifically fluid transport in dense
tumor vasculature and enhancing respiratory drug delivery methods. His MS thesis utilized real CT scans of human airways
to model and improve drug targeting to infection-prone sites, aiming to increase drug efficacy for respiratory diseases.
Mohammad’s research interests include fluid dynamics, multiphase flow modeling, bio-inspired engineering solutions,
and fluid-structure interaction (FSI).
Postdoctoral Research Associate
rrb24@fsu.edu
Dr. Rutvij Bhagwat received his PhD from North Carolina State University. Prior to joining Florida State University as a postdoctoral scholar, he worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Michigan.
Rutvij’s doctoral work involved development of large-scale stability analysis tools and their application toward high-speed compressible flows. At the University of Michigan,
he worked on the development of a resolvent-based estimation & control framework and on its application towards high-speed jet noise reduction. At Florida State University,
his work will focus on using resolvent-based reduced-order modeling to design optimal compliant metasurfaces for drag-reduction in turbulent boundary layers.
More broadly, Rutvij’s research interests include hydrodynamic stability and transition to turbulence, reduced-order modeling, hypersonics, and active / passive flow control for complex flow systems.
Outside of work, he enjoys listening to classical music, opera, and reading history.
Graduate Students
PhD Candidate
aa21b@fsu.edu
Akshay Anand is a PhD candiadate in Mechanical Engineering at Florida State University. He received his master's degree in Aeronautics and Space with a major in Turbulence, offered jointly by Ecole Centrale de Lille and ENSMA, France. Akshay has worked at Georgia Tech (Lorraine, France) and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) for a year. He performed high-fidelity simulations for supersonic airliners and market demand estimations for Urban Air Vehicles. His current research focuses on quantifying the effects of facial features on peripheral leakage from human faces. Other research interests include reduced-order modeling (ROM), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and enabling computer vision and FSI to solve complex engineering problems. You can find out more about his research and previous works at a-anand.com.
PhD Candidate
aj21p@fsu.edu
Aojia Jiang is pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida State University. She received her master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Florida in 2020. She worked in UFIAC for a year on the energy assessment and energy audit for small and medium-sized industrial facilities in Florida. Fluid structure interaction of multiple flags, aortic valve problems, CFD and FEM are her research interest. She enjoys music, working out, and hiking in her free time.
PhD Candidate
gm22s@fsu.edu
Gautam Maurya is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering Program at Florida State University since Fall 2022. He received his M.S by Research from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. He worked as a project associate at IIT Madras for six months to develop the laser for the steam turbines in the superheated steam regime. His research concentrates on the Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) of the Antarctic Krill (Euphausia Superba). More specifically, he is investigating the force dynamics underlying the metachronal motion in Krill. Moreover, he is also investigating the exchange of turbulent flow dynamics over the compliant surfaces. His research interests include turbulent flows, machine learning, and CFD.
PhD Student
akm24gs@fsu.edu
I am pursuing a Ph.D. at CTML, Mechanical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
My area of study is to explore the computational methods for Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) in supersonic flows over flexible panels.
I have pursued a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Pune, India, and investigated shock interaction
within a complex environment of dusty medium, combustible mixture, and suspended fuel droplets. I have gained experience in CFD, AI-ML, Aerodynamics, Flight mechanics,
and Intake Aerodynamics for fundamental design characterization of missile and aircraft at Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), India.
My research interest includes CFD solver development for FSI for various flow regimes, study of Micro Air Vehicles, flapping wings, Bio-inspired design, and exploration of AI-ML potential for coupled CFD problems.
Former Group Members
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Dr. Yang Liu obtained his Ph.D. degree of Mathematics from Florida State University in summer 2020. His research was focused on developing numerical methods for multi-material multi-phase problems involving phase change and material processing. During his graduate studies, he developed a novel supermesh numerical method involving stationary and deforming boundaries for computing solutions to the multi-material diffusion problem in complex geometries with microstructures. His other research interests include sharp interface capturing method, numerical analysis, numerical optimization, and computational geometry. At CTML team, he was working on high-fidelity AMR based CFD simulation and developing turbulence wall model for convection on very coarse grid for cryogenic tanks.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Vahid Tavanashad received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University in 2020. During his PhD studies, he developed a fully-resolved direct numerical simlation solver for buoyant particle-laden flows and used it to perform simulations of particle-fluid flow for physics discovery and model development. At CTML, his research was focused on developing a multiphysics health monitoring framework for high-speed vehicles. In addition, he studied the fluid-structure interaction in suspension of deformable particles to examine the effect of deformability on the suspension rheology.
Research Faculty
Mehdi received his Ph.D. in Applied Science in 2014 from University of California Davis. He was working on development and application of numerical methods for multi-material and multi-phase systems. At CTML, he focused on the development of a general purposed Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) multiphase code to support the group endeavorer to study fundamental and real-world problems. He was also investigating the effects of active vortex generators of heat transfer and phase-change dynamics.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Mohamad Aslani received his Ph.D. from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University in 2017. Before joining CTML, he was a Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mathematics at Florida State University where he worked on direct numerical simulation of compressible flows using the adaptive wavelet collocation method. Dr. Aslani has been involved in multiple multidisciplinary projects including multiphase flows, combustion, optimization, and machine learning. At CTML, his research was focused on developing a Multiphysics Health Monitoring Framework for high-speed vehicles and developing numerical methods for compressible multiphase flows.
PhD Candidate
Akriti was a PhD candidate at FCAAP in the Mechanical Engineering department at Florida State University working with Drs Rajan Kumar and Kourosh Shoele. She received her undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering and master’s degree in Space Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, India with a specialization in High-Speed Aerodynamics . Her master’s thesis was carried out in the Experimental Aerodynamics Division of National Aerospace laboratories, Bangalore, India on the control of Exhaust –freestream interaction on a boat-tailed missile afterbody in the transonic and low supersonic regime. Her undergraduate thesis was based on flutter analysis of a wing at a cruise Mach number of 0.88. Post her masters, she worked as an Aerodynamics engineer at General Electric, Aviation, India on several projects based on design of various components of turbofan engines for commercial and power generation applications using RANS and LES. She also worked in the Aeroacoustics group on the noise-decomposition of the turbofan engines in the aeroacoustics group at GE Aviation. Her current research focuses on the effect of shock/boundary –layer interactions on the aero-thermo-structural coupling of compliant panels in high-speed flows using a wide range of experimental investigation techniques such as Shadowgraph, Surface Oil-flow, PIV, PSP, DIC among others. Her research interests include experimental and computational fluid mechanics of high/low speed flows, shock/boundary-layer interactions, turbomachinery aerodynamics, fluid -structure interaction.
PhD Candidate
Brian Van Stratum was a graduate student at Florida State University pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. Brian joined the CTM Lab in 2020 to study the interaction of flexible cables with frictional and fluid environments. Brian has four years of experience in forensic engineering. In 2012-2017, he engaged in community development engineering research at Tribhuvan University in Nepal. Brian earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2002 from Florida State University. Brian’s research interests are dynamics, controls, and robotics.
PhD Candidate
\
Shirin Provat was a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Mathematics at Florida State University. She was currently working on pattern accelerated electroconvection under the supervision of Dr. Mark Sussman and Dr. Kourosh Shoele. Her research focuses on finding optimal conditions for enhancing electroconvection. Her research interests include Numerical optimization, Optimal Control, and Computational Fluid Dynamics. Her hobbies are gardening and painting.
PhD Candidate
Tomas Solano received a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida State University. Previously, we graduated from Florida State University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2016. His PhD research was about theoretical and numerical thermal fluids studies. Researching fluid-thermal-structure interactions and its application to thermal management and renewable energy generation. His interests include computational fluid dynamics (CFD), reduced order modeling (ROM), and optimization, with specific applications to energy.
PhD Candidate
Tso-Kang Wang received a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida State University under the guidance of Dr. Kourosh Shoele. His research interest was about controlling the complicated interaction between flow and structures. Active research topics include controlling the fluttering of an airfoil under the influence of an active flap actuator, flow-informed vibration based health monitoring technique, novel modal analysis methods for transient response or deforming bodies, and the peripheral leakage of the mask. The sophisticated beauty of Nature has been driving him to always dive deeper into learning and thinking, and his goal is to use what he has learnt to help this world become a better place. He also enjoys reading, playing basketball, and playing video games when he is not hitting the keyboard.
PhD Candidate
Oluwafemi received his PhD degree in mechanical engineering from Florida A & M University. He had his B.Tech in Metallurgical and Materials engineering in The federal university of technology, Akure, Nigeria during which he was an exchange student in his senior year at FAMU-FSU College of engineering. His research interest was Fluid structure interaction of flexible structure for piezoelectric energy harvesting and the wind-induced reconfiguration of trees during hurricanes.
PhD Research Assistant
Patrick Eastham received his B.S. in Applied and Computational Mathematics from Florida State in 2015. He is currently at PhD student in the Biomathematics program at FSU. He was a research assistant for Dr. Shoele in 2017 and has since continued that line of research while being funded as a NSF GRFP Fellow. He has worked on the effect of variable-viscosity mechanisms on the swimming and feeding efficiency of microorganisms with applications towards artificial microswimmers, and more generally is interested in problems in biofluidmechanics.
PhD Student
Shivanshu Kumar is a graduate student at Florida State University studying Mechanical Engineering. He received his Master's Degree in Thermal Engineering from the Gautam Buddha University, India. Presently, he is researching fish locomotion with the goal of improving the propulsion efficiency of a structurally-enhanced fin by using reinforcement learning. Research interests include CFD, FSI, Turbulence modeling, Thermal Flow Analysis, and Aerodynamic Shape Optimization.
Master's Student
Karsten Mikal Kopperstad received his Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Stavanger in Stavanger, Norway. Prior to this he served in the Norwegian Royal Navy as a fulfillment of his Norwegian citizenship duties . Karsten is now currently pursuing a Master's degree in mechanical engineering at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, under the guidance of Dr. Koroush Shoele and Dr. Rajan Kumar. Karsten is working as a graduate research assistant at the Florida Center for advanced Areo Propulsion facility located in Tallahassee, Florida. His research interest includes experimental and computational fluid mechanics, fluid structure interaction, and renewable energy. During his pursuit for his master’s, Karsten is conducting research of the aerodynamic properties found in the wake regime behind a floating wind turbine.
Graduate Student
Gokhan Ozkan received his BS degrees in Teacher Training in Electrical Field and Energy System Engineering from Marmara University and Erciyes University, Turkey in 2006 and 2014, and his MS in Energy System Engineering from Erciyes University, Turkey in 2016. He was a lecturer at Bozok University, Turkey. He is currently a PhD candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, and is working as a graduate research assistant at the Center for Advanced Power Systems. His research interests include control of renewable energy, especially wind energy, electricity generation, distribution, and transmission. His Areas of experties are Renewable energy, Controls, Wind energy systems.
Undergraduate Student
Jake Burns was an undergraduate student at Florida State University pursuing a dual bachelor's/ master's degree in mechanical engineering. Jake is currently working on creating and
modeling reinforcement learning algorithms to actively control piezoelectric beams under certain flow conditions. His research interests include CFD, FSI, and experimental methods.
In his free time he enjoys playing video games, cooking, and reading.
Undergraduate Student
Yanni Giannareas was pursuing his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida State University since Spring 2018. His research concentrates on the hydrodynamics and hydroacoustics of fish schools, and how do they correlate to their ability to avoid predators. More specifically, with the use of 2D boundary element method solvers and fish-like locomotion algorithms, he is trying to quantify metrics such as scattered pressure and vorticity to evaluate the performance of a large range of fish school configurations. He enjoys working out, watching sports such as soccer or racing, and playing video games.
Undergraduate Student
Undergraduate Student
Undergraduate Student
Young Scholars Program (YSP)
The Young Scholars Program (YSP) is a six-week residential science and mathematics summer program for Florida high school students with significant potential for careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The program was developed in 1983 and is currently administered by the Office of Science Teaching Activities in the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida State University. This year Aaron Allen and Matthew Crespo joined our lab at AME in Engineering Campus. They learned about the fundamentals of fluid dynamics and basic procedure to conduct experiments. They also gained knowledge on state of the art technology used in this field.
.
Open House
The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is offering family-friendly STEM activities, including hands-on engineering stations and interactive science exhibits, aimed at bringing the science of engineering to the public during its 2019 Open House. The annual event takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the college’s campus at 2525 Pottsdamer St. in Innovation Park.
.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program.
Multiple PhD Positions Available
Multiple PhD positions are available at the Computational and Theoretical Multiphysics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Florida State University. Selected candidates will work on cutting-edge research projects in computational fluid dynamics and multiphysics simulations.
Fall 2025 (Earlier start dates may be available for qualified candidates)
Submit the following to Dr. Kourosh Shoele (kshoele@fsu.edu) with subject line "PhD-Application-2025":
Postdoctoral Positions
Three postdoctoral positions are available at the Computational and Theoretical Multiphysics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Florida State University.
Submit the following to Dr. Kourosh Shoele (kshoele@fsu.edu) and include the "Email subject line" for specific position.
Start: Beginning 2025 (in collaboration with SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
Boiling phenomena and fluid dynamics of cryogenic fluids and boiling-induced noises.
Duration: Multi-year (yearly renewal based on performance)
Email Subject Line: "PostDoc-Multiphase"
Start: Beginning 2025
Stochastic homogenization and quantum computing approaches to simulate turbulent flows.
Duration: Multi-year (yearly renewal based on performance)
Email Subject Line: "PostDoc-Quantum"
Start: Immediately
Computational and experimental fluid-structure interaction in turbulent flows.
Duration: One year
Email Subject Line: "PostDoc-FSI"
Department of Mechanical Engineering
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
2525 Pottsdamer Street,
Tallahassee, Florida 32310,
United States of America
E-mail: kshoele@fsu.edu